Floating bey-dock



, JAMES BARRON oF PHrLAi-)ELPHIA ooUN'rn BENNsLvANIA.'

FLOATING nrw-Dock.

.specification .murderers-retest No. seed. July.. 17,. les?.Y

To all whom it .may concern:

Be .it known that I,.JA1MES*BA1=R0N, of V'the COUIlty of Philadelphia anolState of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new'. and ,j Improved Floating. Dry.-3Do ,;k@molel Method. of Bomplng itQut; and I- doherebydoGlLre thatithe I following' is. s full and .oziaotdesorptionxThis ydockis fconstrnctedbf. logspffjuly kind, of timber, from-oneto two .feet 4vsquare,

and in the followingrnanner. 5 The fiissttier is laid. l11gthWis,e, the. second crosswise,. and

on 4.them is laid y:thestrietchers .(ve on-ingrein. number) and. on those'fstretchers arelaid ,the

blocks .to receive thex keel, of .the 'ship ;l and in lthis manner the bottom of:y .this "doek Iney be increased; in thickness hand@ strengt hj.to answer. .the purpose .of docking. a` jshi'p., of any size. The Kwooclbolts., are Ito be, of large size, sayl from threeto,.feurinchesdianieter which is double the size they are everput ,into vessels builtin the ordinarywayas it vwould requirefholes so large, aswonld def -stroythe strength` of therlplanl andltimber, and thosewoodbolts are toJoe put as meer .together as maybe .reqniredion all thepurl .poses ofv 1 strength. The .sides .pf .this .dock

are .also formed of. legs, of any suitableethiekness, ,from one `:foot Ito .\18\=inches and; 4in `the mannernow E-described. j'lhe Loutert tien of logs' is laid horizontally-: andvlrisesnpperf pendicularythe inner .tienis, laid ,founor five feet within-the ontertier, atthebottom of obtuse anglewithg the ,bottom ot .theldoln ,enden aouteonomith the Otten- 51de offtho v dook, presenti-ng!thetisuroot s triangle-and "the dock, andthe upper Iparts ofit l z tpproaoh the Lippen lpart, ,of ,theronter :tien-.within a foot or 18 inehes;,the inneritien formngan having `upright .rposts ,-tbetweemtheimat prioperx, distgtnces ,fnorn .eechl Eother, s ayl about every eight or ten feetgthese posts 4are .toJoe E llet intotheffbottoInlogs-.ten '.or twelve, inches to secure thein heels, end;tl1e. log` work also qonneeted with eaohother, by"Roxfetoil-@QsL work llhusY-thesioles ofthis dock are Ln naole suciently strong vto ,-resst @my pressurethot oonlbebrought'tofboelupon .it tlhooo .W0 v olouble sides of; this dock, answergthe.- double y. good purpose fof strength .and .-buoyancy, as

lthe Vacancy between thernmnst never be alllowed to? ll, with. water when al? ship. is. ,to .be

certainty. of the dock ,rising as*v desired `but if a suiiicientportionof, them .is clear of the .watei-,y then the dockvrnnst ,and will rise as `;.calculated to do; for the. oapeoltyof those spaces is of .Suchdirnensionsh as,I to allow them to .lift ena/...weight that oenbo roquilzed, end of .course yp're'serye-.the; stability" of the doek when .i the main. chamberis full of watten what diii'erently from its two sides, thein- ,the outer. ,tien at the b ottorn of .the1 Clook, 1as .they...erof. at the sides .but soioieetlro, :to j form an engle.of .security. and,`leav`e a space lasso. oooiislr for. allth -pvrposooroqulfos ,bnoyancyfin thatpartoftlle dock.

side.

the .Ship isf .n-hor plvre.v and tho watorssoffoestly pumped-.ohwo allow hor g keel., tofrest `on the blo, c ks, she V will Ibe .sup-

Porieo, by :shores from.. .the bottom., ,oz'tho .bolts end-to .fthe-Slides of :the Ship" y.

.shores,from, the,z pper. .sides of. the.y ldock .esflirlstihe eide-.iotlthe Ship and .from :any other 'loert ottho dook, that.. the oondtonfof ,.the,sl1Pmay-11"equfo ,mon ,ftvsm presenting. an; ,arfoh 011W ard by their jiino'tion .in .the .centen ofj the ,d9ok, to resist the E. pressure. of] the,..water, iand to ybe supported at their Legaliters,l and falsoiff1om other points .by similar shoresl to those. .that

aref' intended?. to supportzthe ship in .her

' place they. Vare also... to .be .made ltight by nailing .leatheralongthe.. lower `part of. the

gatessoes to coverytheseam that they .form...withjg their sills, and. up the side'of .thefgatefthatis .lastshut. 'This.. leather is .The .foreendefhs docks formed. some? The after part of this dock'or gate endris .onshore ot all, @Lathe ,oeilllllgon-,tho inside -.w.1l.-..be as .egootuaL-aothetdono. .911. fits Outer opened. ferenosgh, to., allowth" ooritor. .post

shut; and to assist the sides of the dock to bear the strain that this pressure of the water will occasion .to them, t-here is to be a beam in two parts, a little within the gates, which will come together in the center of the dock, and be secured by bolts passing through them, and their ends will be secured to the sides of the dock between two stout knees, where a strong bolt will pass through their ends; and when the ship is passing into the dock, those beams will be canted up until she passes, and then they will assume their useful stations, and receive additional .bolts for their security; there will also be a similar beam outside the gates.

The next matter of importance that has engaged my attention in the invention and construction of this plan of a floating dry dock is the method of pumping it out, so as to free it` from water; and to answer tiis end, lV propose the following Anovel 1 ea.

In the fore end of the dock let there be two boxes, each of them nearly equal in length to one-half of the width of the dock, and to extend ten or more feet aft, according to the size of thel dock; let the out-side of those boxes bevel, so as to iit the outer part of the inside of the dock, and their inner ends also incline from the center of the dock to its sides. This form of those boxes will allow them to be raised by their side or outer ends toa considerable height before their inner ends will come in contact with veach other; forV as those boxes are to rest on an axle constructed within their inner lower corner, they are only to be lifted by their side or outer ends, and consequently only one-half of their weight is to be raised.

s This axle is so formed as to answer the purpose of discharging the boxes of the water which they lcont-ain when elevated, and as follows: The forward part of the axle is to pass out through the forepart of the dock, and to be made perfectly tight by having on it, in composition metal, the male thread of'a screw five or six inches wide; and the dock to have in its side a corresponding female screw to receive it; or a leather hose, well secured to the axle and to the outside part of the dock, may answer the same purpose, and be more economical. This axle is then,.say twelve or more inches in diameter, and bored from its outer end with an auger, eight inches diameter, to nearly the center of the box, and a suiii cient number of holes of two or three inches bored through the axle into this large canal, to allow it to be filled with the water from the box as fast as it can run out; when the box is elevated, andY thus discharges the water from the dock; and to prevent the water from returning into the box, a `valve is to be fitted on the outer end of the axle,

and then the water can and will be drawn oftl from the dock by a much smaller force than was ever done before by any other means. The box is filled with water through a valvein its bottom as it descends, which closes as it ascends. I would also propose, and advise, one of those boxes to be fitted with a siphon, which will in the commencement of freeing the dock from the water be rather more expeditious in its operation than the canting box; but as the water falls Vlow in the dock, the canting box will be found very convenient; this siphon may be square at its lower ends, and have sliding valves to'close or shut it as occasion may require; they are to be moved by a square rod cog-toothed, and a pinion and crank at its upper end. There must also be a good valve board pump in each of the side trunks, to free them from water when required; but they need not be larger than to require the labor of one man each; and by havingY a scupper leading from the main chamber of the dock to those trunks, they can be drained of all the water. The stretchers may be cut off at the fore end of the dock, so as to allow those boxes to be lowered close down to the bottom of the dock.

The purchase for raising those boxes should be two three-fold blocks, the fall of which is to lead to a capstan or common crab, about two feet in diameter, the bars of which may be from ten tor twelve feet long. By this means one man is made equal to from ('30 to 72, and can heave a weight of from 3,000 to 3,600 pounds six feet high in one minute; and two men will double that amount, say 7 ,200; for it is well known that a man can exert himself during that short space of time so as tohproduce that degree of labor, and also to continue it alternatively at short intervals for one or two hours. This admitted, it is clear that a 'dock for all merchant purposes can by two men be pumped out in one hour. Those boxes, if made of oak plank an inch and a half thick, will, when entirely out of the water weigh about 2,500 lbs., consequently one man can raise the box andV from 500 to 1,000 pounds of water besides; but as the water will escape Vas fast as the box can be raised the labor will be principally confined ,to the lifting-of theV box. But it must be remembered, that this weight of 2,500 Ypounds is conned to the siphon box alone, as half the weight of the canting box will rest on its axle. The result therefore of liftino' the latter box is two to one in weight, both of box and water; and on that account may be preferred; but

where there is a sufficiency of power, the

siphon box will be the most expeditious. What I claim as my invention, isl. The construction and arrangement o the different parts of this dock, in the building it .of logs, and the method of pumping it out, as above described; and also the economical means of connecting the whole mass together, by wood bolts double the size of those which can be used in vessels of the ordinary construction. When the siphon box is used, there must be a frame work around it, but particularly at its corners, to keep it in its place as it rises and falls.

2. I also claim the invention of building those two boxes in one, leaving a partition in the center of it fore and aft, and by dividing the channel in the axle through its center, and placing two valves onits outer end, pump out this dock Without any other description of labor than the men moving on the top of it from one side to the other, the box when thus constructed will form an obtuse angle on its bottom, allowing one side to ascend as the other descends. And it may also be made to perform the same operation, by placing two rails on the upper part of the box and constructing a loaded car thereon to be moved from side to side by tackles or other machinery.

References.-A, the double walls of the dock; B, cross bottom logs; C, fore and aft tier of bottom logs; D, stretchers fore and aft, within the dock, to lay the blocks on, to receive the keel of the vessel; E, canting box, to pump out the dock; F, spirt-holes, to show the height of the water in the boxes when lifting them; Gr, valves to let the water into the boxes as they descend; H, stay on the valves, to prevent it from canting over the backway; I, Vhollow valve axle, out of which the water will pass when the box is lifted, (as it is to be by capstan and tackle J, box t0 be discharged by a siphon, when lifted perpendicularly by a tackle and capstan K, Siphon of copper in the box J- water; N, arch rafter, to attach the tackle to, l

which is to raise the water boxes; 0,7one of the gates shut, the other being opened within the dock, and they are hung a little more than half their width Within it, which secures them from any injury by the entrance of the ship, and the extension of the sides of the dock supplies the necessary buoyancy at Vits after end; P, canting beam, used to secure the gates. It is to be kept secure by means of the bolt, Q, which (when it is to be raised for the admission of the vessel) are to be removed, and it is then canted up between the knees R. It is to be remarked, that there are to be two of these beams, one to be within and the other without gates.

E2, section 0f the canting box and axisshowing the valve and outlet for the discharged water; S, an opening bored into the axis, intended to receive the contents by the holes, T, and to flow out by the valve, W.

Reference to the doable boga-E, E, the double canting box to pump out the dock as directed in the description of it; F, F, spirtholes to show the height of the water in each side of the double box; G, G, valves to let the water into either side of the box as it descends; H, H, stays on the valves to prevent them from canting over the back way. I, I, hollow valve axle out of which the water will pass when the box is lifted, as stated in the description of it.

A A, the double walls of the docks.

JAMES BARRON.

Witnesses:

J. N. PALMER, LOTTIE D. ANDERSON. 

